A Long Way Gone #3

"Their faces were dark as if they had bathed them in charcoal, and they stared intensely at us with their extremely read eyes" pg.100

Significance: This really made me wonder how horrified he would have been because right after he talks about the smashed head and spilled guts of soldiers. This probably made him think of American soldiers and what they do to dead bodies. There is a huge difference between soldiers of a third world country and American soldiers because of the different lives they live. He must of been wondering, what am I doing here? How the heck did i get into this? Every minute I read this book makes me want to explore more about what this war is about.

Personal: I feel I connect to this quote because at that moment he said that his head was spinning like when your almost going to pass out and you can hear your breathe louder and louder. I've been in those moments and I was like a bear being shot with tranquilizer darts. I was scared of everything and confused.

Question 1: Did you think that Ishmael wanted to help those people or just follow orders from that guard sipping water?

Quote #2: "In the daytime, instead of playing soccer in the village square, I took turns at the guarding posts around the village, smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown, cocaine mixed with gunpowder, which was always spread out on the table, and of course taking more of the white capsules, as I had become addicted to them" Pg.121

Significance: This was surprising to me because in America we are ashamed of people who do drugs, but in a third world country, to relieve the pain and stress they have to do drugs. I am pretty sure that when Ishmael was telling his friends this, he was probably thinking about all the pain he suffered and how now there is no need for that.

Personal: I don't think I relate to this much because I don't plan on taking drugs anytime in the future. I have felt pain so much that I've always buried it inside and hide myself from reality. I would not say that drugs is the answer but crying out for help is the closest thing to Ishmael.

Question #2: Do you think that Ishmael was hallucinating about his family and other memories while on drugs? If yes, how do you think he felt even if he was in a state of almost unconsciousness?

A long way gone #2

Quote #1: My grandmother once told me a story about a notorious hunter of wild pigs who used magic to transform himself into a wild boar. pg.53 paragraph 3

Response: This was a very interesting quote because even if he immigrated to America, he still remembered what his family members told him. He is still in touch with them on the inside. Even if it was just a story, he felt that this is a time of war and any time he could die. So he felt he had to remember everything his family members said because he can do nothing if he gets taken away.

Personal: I felt that this connected to me because my grandmother and other family members would tell me about story's about hunters and other. Although I don't remember all of them, I feel i should remember some because I only get to see them once a year.

Question: Do you think Ishmael is going to have another encounter with the rebels anytime soon?

Quote #2: Everyone listened attentively, raising their eyebrows and cocking their heads as they tried to understand what kind of music this was.

Response: This quote really showed how blocked off from the present day society of America Ishmael and others are. They have never had that music before because they were poor and in a war. After Ishmael came here, he probably knew about this kind of music.

Personal: This is sad because music is once of those special things that all people have heard. American music is especially popular but Ishmael has never heard the kind of music played because they are never watching TV or keeping up with current events.

Question: Do you think Ishmael liked the music he heard because he has never heard it before?

A Long Way Gone

Quote One: I saw myself holding an AK-47 and walking through a coffee farm with a squad that consisted of many boys and a few adults. Pg.19 Paragraph 2

Significance: This has to do with him immigrating to America because before this sentence, he said that he started thinking of New York and the freedom they had their. I could tell, at that moment he wanted to be in America. He saw death everywhere and smelled it, the only place he wanted to be was away from it all.

Personal Connection: I felt this connected to me because I have felt extreme sadness to a point where I felt half dead. I'm sure I can not match how much he was feeling then, but I can relate. There have been times where all i wanted to do was go home or somewhere away from where i was just like him.

Question: What do you think was going through his head while he was walking with the group, did he want to escape, forget about everything or what?

Quote: Once we found the path, we started walking back toward the village where we had spent most of our hunger days. Pg. 36 Paragraph 2

Significance: I felt that he was thinking of America while doing this because while they were hiding, attacking and killing, he must have been thinking of a better life in America. Although I do not think he knew what he was doing morally but he must have felt some pain and at least thought of how much better it is in America.

Question: How do you think his classmates reacted when he told this horrible story?

Field Trip Reflection

Part I: I felt that this exhibition was to teach us about the history of the Jewish living in America. This exhibition really showed how much the Jewish have contributed to the founding and making of America. This exhibition was to show that the Jewish should not be excluded from being called American just because of their religion. The Jewish helped the Americans fight in every single war; they’ve helped in so many ways. This exhibition was to teach us about all the discrimination and hard times that the Jewish had to go through. They were massacred in WWII; they were always treated differently just because they did something different. Part of the exhibition was dedicated to all the famous Jewish Americans and another part was to how the Jewish lived and their traditions. This exhibition taught me a lot about how their religion and traditions actually changed things we do today. I also learned that a Jewish person actually founded Las Vegas as it is today. People have always treated the Jewish differently because of their religion, but I learned that they are just like every other human on this earth and without them; America would not be what it is today. I learned that when America was split into two, the confederate’s president was Jewish. The last thing I learned from that exhibition was that the Jewish are a proud religion and believe that anything could be possible if you just try, and so far, that’s pretty much true for them.

Part II:
Photograph: My favorite photo is the Mexican Independence Day photo. This photo really showed me that even when your not home in your own country, you can show that you are proud to be whatever religion or race you are. When I looked into the people’s eyes, there was no shame. These people all felt that they needed to show the world what they were made of.

Quote: My favorite quote was “When I left my country, Vietnam I didn’t know that I would probably never come back again. I was just ten years old. I knew my life would begin from this moment” by Ngoe Nguyen. This really showed me what he was thinking when he came to America. This showed that when you immigrate to another county, you are looking for a new start. It’s like clearing the records of your life, and starting a new one.

Essay: The essay I chose was an essay written by Paul Tran who emigrated from Vietnam. I chose this essay because it really showed what he thought about America. He reflected his old life in Vietnam with his new life here. He showed how he felt, where he lives and what he did. Everything he said was a reflection on America. He put everything into specific detail, even the school name and what his room looked like.

Immigration Reflection

I think that the word immigration means a person who is moving to another country for a new start. I am connected to immigration because of my mom; she is an immigrant from Taiwan. I think me, and everyone in the United States is connected to immigration. There are immigrants all around us, even if they speak perfect English. Immigrants are just seeking new hope; all they want to do is find themselves.
The United States takes a huge part in immigration because there are so many immigrants living here today. I think the United States has so many immigrants because it is living up to its name as the land of opportunity. Maybe some immigrants come here because they see commercials, movies, TV shows from America and feel like that’s a great place to live. There are others, who come here because they feel that there is hope here. They feel that there are things to learn and things to teach.
The United States has always been a huge part of immigration because of our constitution. Our constitution basically says that America is a land with no religion, no race and no background. The constitution says that our land is your land. The United States is open to every religion, race and background there is. I think another reason there are so many immigrants is because of how free America is. We are allowed to do so many more things than other countries. I think even if your not born here or raised here, you are considered an American. I think that every American that understands what this land is about, is proud to be an American.
I think San Diego is affected by immigration because we are neighbors of Mexico. Most people from other countries want to experience America. They want to know why everyone loves it. They want to see it with their own eyes.